Breakdown of Både min mor og min far er lærere.
være
to be
og
and
læreren
the teacher
min
my
moren
the mother
faren
the father
både … og
both … and
Questions & Answers about Både min mor og min far er lærere.
How do you form the phrase 'both... and...' in Danish?
In Danish, you use the set pair både ... og ... to mean 'both ... and ...'. It links two ideas exactly as it does in English, which we see here with både min mor og min far.
Why is the plural of 'lærer' spelled 'lærere'?
The singular word for a teacher is en lærer. For Danish nouns that already end in -er (which often describe professions), you usually just add an -e to make them plural. So, lærer becomes lærere.
Since there are two people, why doesn't the verb 'er' change to a plural form?
Danish verbs never change to match the subject. Unlike English, which switches between 'is' and 'are', Danish just uses er no matter how many people or things you are talking about.
How does the 'verb in the second position' rule work with such a long subject?
In Danish, the main verb is almost always the second idea in a standard sentence. Even though Både min mor og min far is six words long, it acts together as a single subject. Because it is the first overall idea, the verb er must come immediately after it.
Learn Både min mor og min far er lærere and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free